A Storm In Their Veins
by Chess-Blackfyre
Summary: Laxus was a Dreyar, yes, and others always compared him to Makarov. But when Makarov looked at his grandson, he couldn't help but think of that woman who held a spark in her eyes and a storm in her veins. (This is the story of Laxus' Mother)


**Just addressing a hole in canon that annoyed me**

 **(Or I got really annoyed that Laxus' mother was never addressed in series, so I decided to do something myself)**

 **As always, I own nothing. Fairy Tail is just a sandbox that I would like to play in with my imagination.**

* * *

Laxus was six years old the last time that he had seen his mother.

His parents were going out on a job, and were going to be gone for a while. That was normal, they were Fairy Tail wizards, traveling to do important jobs was just part of the deal. His parents would usually stick to local or same day jobs so that they wouldn't be gone for long. But jobs around Magnolia didn't actually pay that much, so every now and then they would have to take jobs that would pay more, but would also take more time to complete. When that happened, Laxus would usually stay with his grandfather, but this time he was going to stay with his aunt.

"Do you have to go?" he had asked, pouting and kicking at the dirt while they walked to Auntie's house. Aunt Elaine worked at Fairy Tail as a cook, and didn't live far away from the guild hall. He liked her, he really did! She knew all sorts of stories, and how to make the yummiest food. But he always hated it when his parents were gone.

"Yes, we do." His mom had repeated for what was probably the tenth time that day, but didn't sound frustrated or annoyed. She was walking him to Aunt Elaine's alone, as Dad was already down at the train station with their bags. "Your father and I already promised we would do the job, and Fairy Tail wizards _never_ go back on their promises."

"No, I guess not." He had sighed, and held onto her hand just the slightest bit tighter. When he was older, Laxus realized he couldn't remember if she had said anything after that. They reached auntie's house too soon for his liking.

"I love you _so much_ Laxus," she swore, giving him a tight hug.

"Love you too," he said, too young to be embarrassed by the words.

"I promise that your father and I will be back soon, and I'll tell you all about our mission when we get back." She cupped his face and placed a kiss on his forehead.

After hugging Aunt Elaine goodbye, Ophelia Dreyar started walking away towards the Magnolia Train station.

He watched her walk down the street until she disappeared over the crest of the hill.

And that was the last time he had ever seen his mom.

* * *

Makarov Dreyar had liked Ophelia Knight from almost the moment he met her.

"Alright, losers! What do I have to do to join up with you guys?"

The young woman had come crashing through the doors of Fairy Tail guild hall, practically demanding membership and sure that she could overcome anything they threw at her (Storm Wizards weren't exactly known for having long fuses). Elaine Knight had soon followed, apologizing for her sister's outburst, and trying to diplomatically inquire into the guild's application process.

The guild master remembered laughing at that. Ophelia had the spirit of a Fairy Tail wizard before she ever received a guild mark.

The sisters had taken to guild life nicely, getting along with the other wizards like a house on fire. According to Elaine, that was a common occurrence whenever her sister was around. They'd been run out of several villages before coming to Magnolia because of the Storm Mage's less than stellar control over her magic sometimes.

Ophelia started garnering a reputation in the magic community and Elaine became a scarily efficient barmaid/waitress/cook/woman who WILL strangle you if you put your feet up on the tables. That last one was a lesson that Macao had to learn the hard way. He cited it as one of the dumbest things he'd ever done while drunk, and swore up and down that his neck hurt for a week. It was good for him that Elaine didn't have any magic power, or he'd have been feeling sore for the next month.

* * *

"Hey Ophelia, I'm taking a job out by Clover, wanna team up?"

The storm wizard studied the job posting before looking over at the other wizard. Gildarts was apparently no longer in the habit of wearing a shirt, especially as this particular summer in Magnolia was shaping up to be a scorcher. That meant his abs were on display for all the world to see, and he was all hot and sweaty. Ophelia indulged a moment to drink in the sight of her fellow wizard's lean stomach and well-defined muscles.

Her mouth quirked up into a smirk. "Of course Gildarts, no problem. Meet you at the train station tomorrow?"

The man nodded and exited out the side wall. With his magic. Of course. "Does that lunatic not believe in using doors?" The barkeep commented to herself.

The guild wizard stared off into the middle distance with a hungry look in her eye. "With a package that pretty who cares what's inside."

"You're such a child."

"You're just jealous."

"That you get to spend your time trying to keep the man with Crash Magic from destroying everything in sight? You've seen right through me. I'm green with envy." Elaine deadpanned.

Makarov snickered at that. While the entire guild was family, Elaine and Ophelia had the kind of back and forth that could only come from growing up with each other. If the two sisters weren't so busy with their back and forth, they may have noticed another person paying attention to their conversation. The guild master certainly didn't miss the way that his boy stared after the storm wizard.

The old man smiled to himself. Ivan was all ego, and as high as he thought of himself, that didn't mean he had the first clue of how to actually _talk_ to a girl in a romantic way. It was going to be a disaster, and all he had to do was sit back and eat popcorn. (And give his son a reassuring pat on the back).

It took a couple of tries. The first time, he sounded more like he was picking a fight than asking her out on a date. Ophelia said no thanks, fried him with lightning, and moved on. Makarov had to give the boy credit for going on after that.

When Ivan started courting the Storm Wizard, everyone had been sure the pair were too stubborn and bull-headed for the relationship to last more than a month.

More like they were both too stubborn and bull-headed to ever break up. Their relationship had its ups and downs, (the cycle of argument-silent treatment-make up sex got to be annoyingly familiar to the point where Makarov just stopped questioning why Ivan would sometimes sleep overnight at the guild hall) but you could never say that they didn't love each other.

"Congratulations Ivan," he'd toasted at the wedding reception. "You're marrying one of the most dynamic, powerful, beautiful women in our guild. Ophelia Rosalind...I honestly think that you could do better." He joked, sending ripples of laughter throughout the wedding party (Ivan's lips had tightened, as he bit back a familiar bitterness. Makarov hadn't noticed, sure that his son laughed at the joke.)

Things only seemed to be going uphill for the Dreyar family after that. Ophelia made S-Class the year after Gildarts managed to, and gave birth to Laxus a year afterward. Everyone talked about how much he took after the Dreyar side of the family (Ivan had inherited his mother's coloring).

"What am I, an incubator?" Ophelia commented.

"Well, if you want to get technical…"

The storm wizard glowered at her sister then determinedly stared at her toddler's face, looking for any sign of her genes. The boy just giggled and reached for his momma.

"...he's got my nose." The mother decided, giving a satisfied nod and placing him back down in the playpen. The other guild members continued to watch the scene with Ivan was at the bar, reading over job requests as his wife did the socializing.

The guild master rubbed his chin in thought and studied his first grandchild. "Hm, you know it's not too dissimilar to my-"

"Shut up he has my nose."

They all laughed at that. But Laxus did have his mother's nose, and her eye color. Beyond that, the boy looked like a Dreyar through and through.

"Maybe the next one will look more like you." Elaine tried to comfort.

"Nah, I love this kid, but I am _never_ doing that again."

* * *

The couple stopped doing dangerous jobs the first few years after their son was born. They picked them up again after Laxus turned four years old. Makarov had been hesitant at first, but after the first few times that they came back fine, his worry went away. They even took an S-Class job once or twice.

"I'm an S-Class Wizard," Ophelia assured. "I can handle it. There's nothing that Ivan and I can't handle when we're together."

Makarov wished he could say that there had been warning signs, something about the job posting that didn't feel right. But no, while there were relatively few S-Class jobs, the one that they picked hadn't been much different than the usual ones on the second floor.

The guild master had gotten a message from the couple the day before they were scheduled to return. Looking from the other end of the messaging lacrima, Makarov couldn't help but notice how rough his kids looked.

Ivan explained how the job was more complicated than they initially assumed, and they were going to have to stay longer than initially expected.

"Elaine has a key to the house, she'll get Laxus' stuff no problem," Ophelia instructed. "I also know who'd be willing to watch him for a night or two if it's getting to be too much. Also, be sure to give him hugs and kisses from us? I know he misses us."

The grandfather smiled. "Of course my dear. Though, are you sure that you two have it covered? There's no shame in asking your guildmates-"

"We have it covered." Ivan interrupted, brash and sure. Makarov hadn't been entirely convinced, but let the matter be. He trusted that if it was really bad, Ivan and Ophelia would call in for backup.

Looking back, the guild master couldn't help but wonder if that trust was what had gotten his daughter-in-law killed. She was a talented wizard, they both were, but she was still overconfident. The storm mage had never quite internalized the idea that there were just some obstacles that you couldn't overcome with sheer power and force of will. Ivan wasn't so much overconfident as he was yearning to escape from his father's shadow, to prove how powerful and competent he was as a wizard.

One week later, Ivan left a short message, saying when his train would be pulling into the station. He wouldn't respond to questions, and his voice was broken.

Makarov feared that the worst had happened, but he still (foolishly) held onto that hope. That hope was what convinced him to let Laxus come with him to the train station when his parents returned.

Or, well, _parent_.

The child ran to greet his father, clinging to Ivan's leg in a hug. Elaine and Makarov both noticed how Ivan didn't even try to return the gesture. They shared concerned looks.

"Where's mom?" Laxus asked, not noticing his father's bandages or the sad look in his eyes.

"Laxus-"

"Mom!" The boy called out, somehow convinced she was hiding. "Mom! I'm with dad! Where are you?"

"I'm sorry, my boy." Ivan had said, unable to so much as look at him as he kneeled down.

"Ivan…"

"But your mother-she isn't coming back."

* * *

It was a perfectly clear summer day when they buried her. Elaine didn't know if her sister would have taken that as an insult.

Despite her occasionally brash attitude, Ophelia was well liked in the magical community. Her funeral was attended not only with those from Fairy Tail, but also wizards from Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus.

Laxus was seated between her and Makarov, not letting go of their hands throughout the entire service. Ivan was off to the side, too wrapped up into his own grief to be able to properly comfort his son. (This would become something of a running theme. One year later, Elaine would get into a screaming match with her brother in law after Ivan left the boy at home sick while he was off doing a job. A week later, the boy would move in with his grandfather.)

Words were said, flowers were laid, and Elaine Knight could barely look at the headstone.

 **Ophelia Rosalind Dreyar**

 **Beloved Sister, Mother, Wife and Wizard**

 **X737-X767**

* * *

Gildarts had been the last to find out, returning to the guild a month after the funeral.

It hadn't been pretty.

"YOU BASTARD!" The S-Class wizard threw a punch square at Ivan's face. It wasn't one of Fairy Tail's usual energetic squabbles, but an attack born of grief and anger.

The paper doll wizard cradled his jaw in pain, but the redhead continued. "You and your damn ego! You never could ask for help, always looking to prove yourself. YOU COULDN'T SWALLOW YOUR DAMN PRIDE AND NOW SHE'S DEAD!"

"Gildarts that is enough! " Makarov scolded. He knew the wizard was struck by grief but blaming his guildmate wouldn't help anything.

"Why…" the dark-haired wizard rose to his feet. "Why scold him? It's obvious you _all_ think it." Ivan spat blood, tone bitter.

"Son…"

The guild master was completely unsure of what to say. Before Makarov could even try, his son took his silence as confirmation and walked out of the guildhall. The wizard sighed, for all the times he had talked he and his guild out of trouble with the Magic Council, sometimes he just couldn't find the right words when his family was involved.

* * *

 _Ever since I was little, I've always just been known as your grandson. It's like I never got to be my own person!_

Laxus was a Dreyar, yes, and others always compared him to Makarov. But when Makarov looked at his grandson, he couldn't help but think of that woman who held a spark in her eyes and a storm in her veins.

* * *

 **There we go, my first foray into Fairy Tail fanfiction!**

 **Elaine and Ophelia Knight are my OCs, but only from necessity because like I said, there was just information that canon wasn't giving me. Like, w** **hat happened with the Dreyar family? Why was Ivan expelled? What happened to Laxus' mom? How did Ivan get the dragon slayer** lacrima **?**

 **Hiro Mashima: answers precisely NONE of those questions**

 **Me, cracking my knuckles: well, alrighty then**

 **Yeah, so here's my vague** headcannon **/AU of what went down**  
 **-Ivan and Makarov always had a strained relationship. Maybe like Laxus, he resented living in his father's shadow. Maybe it had something to do with Makarov's wife. I don't know.**  
 **-Their relationship started to mend when Laxus entered the picture, but once again deteriorated after Ivan''s wife died**  
 **-It's canon that Gildarts doesn't like Ivan. Here, Gildarts blames Ivan for his friend's death. After all, being mad at Ophelia is pointless, as there's no catharsis at blaming a dead woman. Ivan, meanwhile, is alive and someone he could still pin it on.**  
 **-After Ophelia's death, Ivan started focusing on ways to become more powerful, partly out of grief, partly to distract himself from the pain of losing his wife. This also bled into his relationship with Laxus, as he pushed the boy to learn a style of magic much like his mother's. When Laxus wasn't as powerful, Ivan had the** lacrima **implanted in his kid.**  
 **-**

 **Also, the note on Laxus getting his mom's nose as I was comparing the Dreyar men looking for how they differed, I noted that** Laxus **had a slimmer nose than his father and grandfather. That and his eye color are really the two main differences, so I decided to attribute them to his mom.**

 **Anyway, if you have any ideas/questions/concerns or you just like what you've read, comment below and let me know!**


End file.
